Berklee College of Music
Boston, MA · Private · Large city · BCM · Berklee School of Music
Private institution in Boston, MA · 7,510 undergraduates · 50% acceptance rate · $33,647 median earnings 10 years after entry.
- Top 16%Undergraduates
- Top 17%Acceptance rate
- Top 20%Student-faculty ratio
- Top 22%Full-time retention
Stats
College Scorecard figures, each with where this school sits nationally among institutions that report the same measure. A dash means the school does not report it.
Cost
- Average net price
- $50,4041,961st cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- In-state tuition & fees
- $50,2701,808th cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Out-of-state tuition & fees
- $50,2701,805th cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Cost of attendance
- $69,8741,818th cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- Median graduate debt
- $25,0001,238th lowest of 1,865 reporting
Outcomes
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $33,6471,814th highest of 1,954 reporting
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $26,4621,825th highest of 1,950 reporting
- Graduation rate (4-year)
- 66.3%546th highest of 2,014 reporting
- Full-time retention
- 85.4%405th highest of 1,837 reporting
Admissions
- Acceptance rate
- 49.9%266th most selective of 1,596 reporting
- Average SAT
- —
- Median ACT
- —
Campus
- Undergraduates
- 7,510340th largest of 2,144 reporting
- Student-faculty ratio
- 10.0:1427th smallest of 2,141 reporting
- Pell Grant share
- 15.4%1,902nd highest of 2,122 reporting
Nearest large-hub airport: 4 mi (BOS)
On 2 of our 111 lists
Every published ranking this school appears on, with its rank there.
Best-paying fields of study
Median earnings one and two years after graduating, by field. Showing 9 of 9 reported programs.
| Field | Level | 1 yr | 2 yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arts, Entertainment,and Media ManagementVisual & Performing Arts | bachelors | $28,055 | $31,914 |
| MusicVisual & Performing Arts | bachelors | $21,649 | $22,162 |
| Visual and Performing Arts, OtherVisual & Performing Arts | bachelors | $21,383 | $16,786 |
| DanceVisual & Performing Arts | bachelors | $18,087 | $21,964 |
| Computer Software and Media ApplicationsComputer Science | bachelors | — | — |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and StagecraftVisual & Performing Arts | bachelors | — | — |
| Engineering Technologies/Technicians, OtherEngineering Technology | bachelors | — | — |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic ProfessionsHealth Professions | bachelors | — | — |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject AreasEducation | bachelors | — | $29,685 |
Campus facts
- Founded in 1945source
- Motto: "Esse quam videri"source
- School colors: Red and Graysource
- Mascot: Mingus the Jazz Catsource
- Formerly known as "Schillinger House"source
- Formerly known as "Berklee School of Music"source
- Notable alum: Psysource
- Notable alum: Quincy Jonessource
- Notable alum: Steven Tylersource
- Notable alum: John Mayersource
- Notable alum: Charlie Puthsource
Similar-size colleges
Nearest undergraduate enrollment to Berklee College of Music’s 7,510 (College Scorecard UGDS, compiled 2026-10-24). Size only — not a judgment of similarity or quality.
In MA
- Harvard UniversityCambridge, MA · 7,755 undergrads
- Bridgewater State UniversityBridgewater, MA · 7,899 undergrads
- Tufts UniversityMedford, MA · 6,804 undergrads
- Worcester Polytechnic InstituteWorcester, MA · 5,344 undergrads
- University of Massachusetts-DartmouthNorth Dartmouth, MA · 5,289 undergrads
- Boston CollegeChestnut Hill, MA · 9,865 undergrads
Elsewhere
- Florida Agricultural and Mechanical UniversityTallahassee, FL · 7,516 undergrads
- Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Daytona BeachDaytona Beach, FL · 7,535 undergrads
- University of West GeorgiaCarrollton, GA · 7,485 undergrads
- University of ChicagoChicago, IL · 7,540 undergrads
- University of Minnesota-DuluthDuluth, MN · 7,475 undergrads
- Georgetown UniversityWashington, DC · 7,462 undergrads
Key links
- Official websiteberklee.edu
- College ScorecardFederal source for every figure above (UNITID 164748)
- Compare colleges in MARe-score with your weights
- The Most Selective Colleges in MassachusettsEvery eligible four-year in this state, ranked by published admission rate
- Compare with Harvard UniversitySide by side on every Scorecard measure — closest in-state school by enrollment
- Showdown: Berklee College of Music vs Harvard UniversityHigher-or-lower on real Scorecard metrics — round 1 is these two
- Build an admissions plan8th–12th grade actions for this college — sports, activities, timeline
- MethodologyWhat these figures do and do not capture
- How to read a school page end to endStats, standings, lists, athletics, news — one profile, many jobs. Know which panel answers which question.
- Sticker price is a trapPublished tuition is a starting rumor. Net price is closer to what families actually pay.
- What acceptance rate actually measuresSelectivity is a competition statistic — not a quality score, and not your personal odds.
- A plan from eighth grade — without fake certaintySchool-anchored milestones, sports scarcity honesty, and EC playbooks — not invented admit odds.